Large, complex battery systems provide high voltage and power for a variety of modern uses, including, but not limited to, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, backup power supplies for computing centers, homes, and neighborhoods, and power storage for alternative energy generation platforms. Such battery systems generally include one or more cells in parallel that may be connected in series configurations to provide higher voltage and power. Regardless of the configuration, however, cells and modules are susceptible to failure for a variety of reasons. For example, if the temperature of a cell exceeds the upper limit of the functional temperature range of the cell, the pressure from the high temperature may cause a cell to burst, may increase shorts, and can even cause a fire. Further, an internal short in one of the cells may result in thermal runaway, which occurs when an increase in temperature increases the current through the cell, resulting in a further increase in temperature until the cell fails. Failure of one cell often triggers a similar failure in adjacent cells.
It is with these and other issues in mind that various aspects of the present disclosure were developed.